Leadership activities for teens can be pivotal in shaping confidence to become the leaders of tomorrow, providing them with the skills and perspectives necessary to drive positive change in the world. MEDLIFE’s Global Perspective Leadership Workshop (GPL) is a premier program in this realm, offering interactive online experiences designed to cultivate essential leadership qualities in high school students. On Tuesday, April 29th, and Tuesday, May 6th, at 7:00 p.m. EST, MEDLIFE’s GPL workshop will provide the unique opportunity for teens to embark on a journey of self-discovery, global health knowledge, empathy building, and leadership development.
But don’t just take our word for it, find out what the GPL is all about from one of our former participants, Ryan Woodland. Ryan has been involved with MEDLIFE for four years and is the current MEDLIFE chapter president at Port Credit Secondary School. He chatted with us to give some insights on what it’s like to participate in a GPL, what drew him to it, and what he took away from the experience. Keep reading to find out more!
Leadership Activities For Teens: Ryan Woodland’s Experience With The Global Perspective Leadership Course
MEDLIFE: Could you share your name and how long you’ve been involved with MEDLIFE?
Ryan: So my name is Ryan. I have been involved with MEDLIFE for the past four years, and I’m currently the president of our school’s MEDLIFE chapter. I’m also an SLT traveler. I went in 2023 to Costa Rica, and it really did change my life.
MEDLIFE: Could you also share a little bit of your background on your experience with the GPL? How did you first hear about it? How many have you participated in?
Ryan: The first and only GPL course that I participated in was in April 2024 and I found out about it through the MEDLIFE Instagram and also just on the MEDLIFE website, looking for opportunities beyond the SLT. Our school was running a few fundraisers, and we did a few interactive workshops where we would network with the school community and talk about first aid skills and medicine in the community. And I was really looking for a way to keep talking about all those things I learned on the SLT, and connect more with MEDLIFE. That’s how I got connected to this opportunity, and I’m really glad I did.
MEDLIFE: And I’m wondering a bit about what the GPL has taught you about leadership?
Ryan: My biggest takeaways were goal setting and having a clear mission statement. So first off, with goal setting, I realized how much in the past I had thought of a goal and I didn’t create the steps necessary to get that goal. And one of the things we talked about is really building those steps. Things like, just following some general guidelines and making my goal to stay as committed as possible to the things I laid out with my team. The other thing is having a clear mission statement. I realized that my purpose is in mentorship. I realized this through the SLT, when I was mentored by so many community leaders, especially one of the chaperones on our trip. He was such a mentor for me and got me to understand the people aspect of medicine. I had been really familiar with the science component, but I wasn’t as familiar with the community aspect. I want to be a mentor to as many people as I can in my community and inspire people to take on their own projects. So rather than outlining like, “Oh, here’s something we can do,” I want to be asking: “What do you want to do? What are some needs that you’ve recognized in the community, and how might we address them?”
MEDLIFE: Did the GPL influence your thinking when it came to things outside of MEDLIFE? Like jobs, scholarship applications, school, that kind of stuff?
Ryan: So, with school and my formal education, MEDLIFE really cemented my interest in medicine. More specifically, my interest in education within medicine. Right now, I’m considering pursuing an MD PhD program that will connect me to opportunities to lead innovations that take on students. It also opened my eyes to how many opportunities there are with charities around the world providing in that way. When I’m in medical school, one of the things I hope to do is, over the summers, work as an intern for charitable organizations like MEDLIFE or support on mobile clinics. Also, in terms of scholarships and jobs, MEDLIFE connected me to so many opportunities for scholarships. Especially ones like the TD community leaders scholarship and the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award. The GPL course specifically gave me this clearer understanding of why I do what I do. Because in connecting with leaders and just talking about what it means to be a leader, I was able to articulate some of those interests, values, and things I’d been driven to do before, but I couldn’t communicate them as effectively with other people. When the year started out, I noticed that I was able to inspire people because I knew how to share my experiences in a way that people could connect with and make it really personal, and that’s how we ensured our engagement this year.
MEDLIFE: What would you say to someone who is considering joining the GPL?
Ryan: I would say that there is so much that you can learn from this program that has not been taught in school, because it allows you to articulate your own values. It takes what you feel and allows you to express that to other people, and that skill is so powerful in making people recognize what they can do to contribute to some sort of goal or idea. If you can mobilize people’s values and get a room full of people who want to make some impact and get the steps of making that impact clear through goal setting and through leading by example, then you can create an incredible impact in your community. And just connecting with so many other leaders, you really realize what’s possible and how there are no limits to what you can organize. You can connect with so many people, and the connections you get from this program are incredible. I still keep in touch with some of the people I met over the GPL course, and many people are surprised by that, because it’s only two online meetings, but because you already have that shared ground, because you already know that you’re both interested in the MEDLIFE mission, you bond instantly over that.
How Can You Join The GPL?
Leadership activities for teens can often be hard to find, expensive, or difficult to access. That’s why registration is 100% free and is open to any high school students around the world. But don’t wait! Registration closes on Friday April 25th!
Plus, all registrants will receive $50 worth of points on their MEDLIFE Advocate Rewards account for each workshop they register for, as well as for completing the assigned homework. That’s a total of $150 worth of points available to be won!
Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to participate in one of MEDLIFE’s leadership activities for teens to gain valuable experience and be part of a connected network of young change-makers!